The Detroit Lions will not have mandatory minicamp this year, likely as a result of getting the Hall of Fame game.
On Wednesday, the NFL announced updated offseason schedules for each team, including the new announcement of rookie minicamps across the league. For the Detroit Lions, their seven draft picks, and 11 undrafted rookie signings, rookie minicamp will begin on Friday, May 9, and run through May 11.
This will be the media’s first opportunity to watch the Lions rookies take the field, and we’ll likely have opportunities to talk to the players after practice as well.
But that’s not the only notable development in the Lions’ schedule. Earlier in April, the NFL announced the dates of OTAs and mandatory minicamp. However, in this latest release, the Lions no longer have dates for mandatory minicamp available—the only team without them.
Sources confirm the Lions have canceled mandatory minicamp this year. This appears to be a result of the Lions being featured in this year’s Hall of Fame preseason game. They will be forced to play four preseason games instead of the typical three. Additionally, Hall of Fame Game participants usually get a head start on training camp before the rest of the NFL.
So this appears to be coach Dan Campbell opting to condense this part of the offseason—Detroit is already only using two of three available OTA weeks—in order to compensate for a longer training camp and preseason ahead.
Here is a look at the updated dates for the Lions’ entire offseason program:
- Rookie minicamp: May 9-11
- OTA Week 1: May 28-30
- OTA Week 2: June 3-5
It’s unclear when the Lions will open training camp—they usually announce in late June. However, the Hall of Fame game against the Los Angeles Chargers is scheduled for July 31.
